Construction of towers for support of various items has been practiced for many years. Various towers of various materials, including wooden, steel, and, more recently, concrete, have been provided to support, for example, electrical transmission lines. In a like manner, wind driven apparatus including windmills and wind-driven power generators in various forms and designed for many purposes (including for example pumping of water from wells as well as, more recently, generation of electrical power) have also been developed.
Such towers are generally constructed of multiple pieces that are assembled at the location of the tower. The pieces are usually hoisted in place by a crane. Cranes can be very expensive to maintain and operate, and a substantial hourly cost is incurred for every hour the crane is on site.
For example, a large construction crane may require 16 truckloads to transport all of the component parts, substantial labor to assemble and inspect, and then substantial labor to disassemble. Accordingly, a method and apparatus for constructing a tower that minimizes or eliminates the need for a crane is desired.